Never Look Back
by leviodraco
Summary: Hermione knows there's more to Regulus Black than there appears to be, and is determined to go back in time and find out what it is. However, things get a lot more complicated when something keeps her from wanting to ever return to the present.
1. Prologue

Harry listened to Kreacher, hanging on every word, when he noticed Hermoine. She was crying into her hands beside him, practically gasping for air between sobs. He knew she must care for Kreacher and be terrified while hearing the elf's story of plight, but even while he was explaining his lucky escape, she kept crying, harder and harder. He looked back at Kreacher as he spoke about Regulus' death, then back to Hermoine as she gripped the wall, completely beside herself with tears still streaming from her eyes. _It's probably just every emotion she's had in the past few weeks. I'll never say anything,_ Harry thought. _But still…_

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><p>Hermoine clutched the little time-turner in her hand and took a deep breath. This was it. She'd counted how many turns she would need, but that wasn't the hardest part. She still didn't know what she was going to do once she'd gotten there. No one ever spoke of Regulus Black, and yet something still drew her to him like a magnet. There must be something that would help them to defeat He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named; something that would help Harry.<p>

She began turning, slowly at first, but soon fast enough that the little time turner was practically buzzing with speed around Hermoine's neck. Glancing at the clock, Hermione saw that she'd been turning the necklace for nearly an hour, and by the time she'd finished, her hand was cramping so badly she could hardly move it. As she took one final look around her bedroom, the very walls began to spin away, replaced by an empty lot. Her house hadn't even been built yet.

With a final deep breath, Hermione tucked the time-turner into her shirt and set off for Grimmauld Place.

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><p><em>It'll be longer next time. Promise(;<em>


	2. Chapter 1

Credit for everything familiar goes to J.K. Rowling. Don't forget to review! Thank you!

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><p>Regulus was laying on his bed, staring at the black snake that slithered down his arm. He'd just turned seventeen the day before, and the only gift given to him to celebrate his coming-of-age was his very own Dark Mark. His mother had been overjoyed, cursing his older brother Sirius over and over for not being as faithful to his blood as his younger brother. Regulus smiled. Sirius has been an ignorant traitor, and it was a good thing he'd run when he had. He didn't belong in this house, or even this family.<p>

A sharp knock on the front door snapped him from his reverie. _They couldn't be back already,_ he thought. His mother had left only a few moments ago, to do what, he had no idea, but he didn't care anyway. Assuming it was a messenger looking for his mother, Regulus pulled down his sleeve to hide the Dark Mark, slid from his bed and out into the hall, and then ran down the stairs two at a time until he faced the door.

When he swung it open, however, his mouth opened in surprise. This girl couldn't be a messenger. He stared at her, waiting for an explanation.

The problem was that Hermione didn't have an explanation. She'd spent most of her time planning on how to get to this point, including the hour she'd had to wait until left. Now that she was here, standing in front of Regulus himself, she found herself speechless. Another problem was that, while some said Regulus hadn't been as lucky as his brother had in the case of physical appearance, it seemed otherwise to Hermione. She couldn't seem to look away from his mysterious dark eyes.

"Can I…help you?" Regulus asked, running a hand threw his soft dark hair.

Hermione shook herself back to reality. "My name is Hermione. Hermione Granger. Are you…are you Regulus Black?" she said, despite knowing that this must be him, but there were no other words coming to mind.

"Yes, I am," he said, looking at her quizzically. "What exactly is it you want again, Hermione?" Regulus asked. His patience was wearing thin with this girl who obviously had something wrong with her, or at least shouldn't be here.

Hermione's mouth opened silently and closed again. This had been a terrible idea. What was she thinking, coming all the way back to 1979 with some delusional idea that a member of the Black family would help her defeat Voldemort?

"Never mind," she mumbled. Hermione was turning away and walking down the steps up to the door when a hand grabbed her wrist. She froze and turned back around to face Regulus, whose face was as confused as Hermione felt.

As far as Regulus was concerned, he wasn't about to let this girl go. She knew who he was, and where he lived, and that just wasn't something he was comfortable with.

"How do you know who I am?" Regulus asked with squinted dark eyes.

Hermione continued to look back at him in silence. What would he do if she told him how she really knew who he was? Would the mere mention of Sirius get her inside, or the exact opposite? Hermione guessed the latter and cleared her throat. What was she supposed to say?

"I…I…" she stuttered. For the first time, absolutely nothing that could get her out of this came to mind as she continued to look into Regulus' surprisingly attractive face.

"Here's an idea. How about you come inside and we talk about this a little more. I'll even make some tea to give you more time to come up with a story," Regulus said with a tiny smirk at the side of his mouth. Hermione watched with her mouth open as he stepped aside so that she could walk inside the familiar old house. Of course, it was much cleaner now than she'd ever seen it, but it was also much, much darker thanks to, she was sure, those who were living there.

Hermione walked in farther, following Regulus to the kitchen. She still had no idea what she was supposed to tell him. What would happen if she were to tell him the truth? He seemed good-hearted, but had he changed his mind yet? Did he even know about the horcruxes? No, he couldn't, because there stood Kreacher, washing dishes in the kitchen sink just as Hermione figured he always did.

"Kreacher, would you so kindly make us some tea please?" Regulus asked as he pulled out a chair for Hermione, and then walked around to the other side of the table to sit facing her. "Of course, master," said Kreacher, bowing so deeply his nose touched the floor.

As Kreacher bustled off, Regulus turned back to look at Hermione. "So, thought of anything I'll believe yet?" He asked with the same little smirk as before. He really did want to know why she was there, and how she knew who he was while he had no idea who she was. That just couldn't be a good thing. Plus, why not have some fun while his mother was away?

"Well," Hermione began, carefully choosing her words. "I'm looking for something and I think you might be able to help me."

Regulus' brows furrowed. "Help you? I don't even know who you are, and…"

"Master, your tea is ready," said Kreacher as he placed a tray with two steaming mugs of tea on it onto the table between Hermione and Regulus.

"Thank you, Kreacher," said Regulus, but he did not reach for his cup. Actually, he hadn't taken his eyes off of Hermione's face at all. "I still don't even know who you are or why you're here, so I would appreciate it if you'd clear that bit up before we continue this. Now, who do you work for?" he said, his voice considerably deeper and louder than it had been before.

If Hermione hadn't been nervous before, she certainly was now, not to mention absolutely terrified, and she had a feeling Regulus was aware.

Hermione stood up. "I shouldn't be here. I'm so sorry." She turned to leave, suddenly wanting to get out of the house as quickly as possible, but Regulus was already in front of her, leaning on the doorway.

"I don't think so," he said. "At least not before you finish your tea." He pushed off the wall and stepped closer to Hermione so that he was just inches from her face. "You didn't really think I'd let you leave, did you?"

Hermione's hand tightened on the wand in her pocket, but Regulus was too quick for her.

"Expelliarmus!" he said, smiling as Hermione's wand shot right into his empty hand. "You should sit back down, Miss Hermione."


	3. Chapter 2

Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed! Keep it up!

Credit for everything familiar goes to J.K. Rowling.

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><p>When Hermione woke up, all she could see was darkness. At first, she'd even completely forgotten all that had happened, but it rushed back to her faster than she could process it all. How had she been stupid enough to walk into the house of someone who would want to kill her and expect that same person to help her? She was a muggle-born, after all, which was something she would avoid telling Regulus at all costs if he hadn't figured it out already, in which case she'd probably be dead.<p>

She leaned back against what she thought must be a wall. She had to think. If it weren't for whatever it was that was binding her wrists and the absence of her wand, she'd already be trying desperately to escape. Unfortunately, all hope seemed lost as she'd been left in complete blackness with absolutely no knowledge of what to do or even where she was.

Another terrible thing all this spare time was causing Hermione was far too much opportunity to let her mind wander. There was of course her fear of never escaping, as well as an even greater and growing fear of not being able to get back to her own present time. She also couldn't help but be furious with Regulus for locking her up who-knows-where and a few new feelings she couldn't quite understand, but which were anything but anger, yet again toward Regulus whose face was all Hermione saw when she drifted off to sleep.

It was actually only when her stomach started to growl with hunger that her careful analysis of the situation turned into pure panic. Until now, her rational mind had been telling her that everything would turn out alright, but with hunger blurring her mind, there was little she could do to stay calm. Plus, robbed of her wand, her situation was beginning to appear completely hopeless.

A lot of the time she'd just been beating herself up, over and over, about not planning ahead for this and what Ron and Harry and everyone else would think if she ever managed to go back. Would they even believe she was still herself? No one would believe she could've been such an idiot, considering she was pretty sure no one had ever gone this far back in time with just a time turner. Of course, to them, she'd never have left, but she wasn't even sure her plan to get back would work at all, in which case she'd have to live the next twenty-or-so years as someone else until she could go home, which would end, if nothing else, quite badly, considering it would appear as though she'd have aged those twenty years in mere seconds.

These thoughts along with her increasing hunger were all Hermione could think about while she was awake, causing her to completely lose track of time. She was becoming more careless than she had ever allowed herself to be, not to mention more nervous and far more terrified than she'd ever been for any exam in her entire history at Hogwarts. There was no difference between day and night, and no knowledge of whether or not either had passed, or if they had, how many. There was only fear and a sense of loneliness.

Finally, after what seemed like days of darkness, Hermione was blinded by a sudden light so bright and close to her face that it burned her eyes. She backed up hard against the wall behind her, completely convinced, having let her mind run away with her for however long she'd been sitting here, that this was the last light she was ever going to see. Instead, a slightly familiar voice spoke softly into her ears.

"Sorry I took so long," it said, and she found herself looking up into Regulus Black's handsome face, still framed by short dark hair. "I brought you some food," he continued. Hermione had nearly adjusted to the sudden light now, and saw a silver tray with several sandwiches and a bowl of hot soup in the boy's hands.

Hermione looked at Regulus and then back down at the food as he set it down in front of her, and her stomach rumbled deeply again. She knew it would be stupid to eat anything given to her by someone like Regulus, and Mad-Eye's warnings were running through the back of her mind, but her senses were dulled by desperate hunger as she allowed her bound hands to lunge for a sandwich.

As she sat eating, her entire being went through an internal struggle as to what to do. Should she even attempt to escape, in which case she would be risking injury or worse, as well as any trust she might be able to gain from her captor? Or should she just play along for as long as possible and at least try to stick to her original plan? Despite the fact that the latter was almost impossible, she decided playing nice would be the way to go for now.

"How long have I been up here?" she asked after swallowing a mouthful. Regulus thought for a moment before answering.

"I think about a day and a half," he said with a shrug, but Hermione's mouth dropped open in shock between bites. "I had to wait for Mum to leave again, because hauling that much food up here would have been too suspicious," he finished with an amused chuckle. However, Hermione was nowhere near laughter as she remembered how hungry and terrified she'd been this entire time. As she finished the rest of the sandwich in her hands, she leaned her head back against the wall again and took a deep breath. She really needed to think and the knowledge that she'd been here for so long had ruined her appetite.

Why would he want to hide her from his mother? Hermione felt that if he really wanted to know what she was doing here, he would have just handed her over to the death eaters to interrogate, so the fact that he hadn't didn't make any sense at all. Plus, if he was so kind as to bring food for a prisoner that, for all he knew, wanted to kill him, even though it seemed that the action could get him into trouble, what had You-Know-Who seen in him in the first place?

_Probably the same thing he now sees in Draco_, Hermione thought_. He's just a way to make an entire family do whatever he wanted them to do by dangling their only (at least ever since Sirius had run away) son's life over their heads like a puppet._

Realizing Regulus had been watching her the entire time she'd been drawn back inside her own head, Hermione snapped up and began munching on another sandwich despite the fact that she couldn't even taste it anymore. She was stuck in this sick, disjointed, far-in-the-past world with no way out, all thanks to the stupidity she had no idea she even had. Why had this ignorance decided to show itself when she was not only in a dire situation, but also completely by herself in unfamiliar territory? It was easily the worst place Hermione had ever found herself in, including the past six years she'd been escaping harm with Harry and Ron, and that was saying something.

Oh, Ron. She had to admit she hadn't been thinking about him as much as she usually did. To be honest, she almost felt as if she was breaking some kind of rule, being alone with another boy even though she really didn't have much of a choice. She'd never admit it, at least not yet, but just before she'd decided to go on this suicide mission, she'd decided to finally start acting on her feelings for him. However, those plans were the last thing on her mind now, especially since she'd met Regulus. For whatever reason, it was hard to think at all when he was even in the same room.

"I know you might be wondering why I'm keeping you here," Regulus said suddenly. Hermione just scoffed. Of course she'd been wondering why she'd been stunned, knocked out, bound at the wrists, thrown into a teenager's pitch-black closet, and left there for so long without any human contact at all. "It's only to try and figure out who you really are and why you're here," Regulus went on. "If you'd just tell me…"

But Hermione just looked up at him for a moment before continuing to eat in silence.

"Yeah, I should've known it wouldn't be that easy," he said with a grin. He continued to sit and watch her eat as she moved on to the soup, obviously a creation of Kreacher's. As she ate, Hermione couldn't help but think about the boy before her. From all that she'd heard about him, he'd always seemed like the exact opposite of Sirius in every way, including not only beliefs but also personality. However, it was hard to believe just how down to earth and almost…kind, he'd turned out to be. Well, aside from the whole kidnapping and imprisonment thing. All the same, Hermione just couldn't help but see a flicker of light behind his eyes that was so like Sirius', she felt as if it could be him sitting in front of her. Regulus was just a boy who had been sorted into the wrong Hogwarts house seven years ago, and who lacked the bravery that his brother had used in order to say "No".

If anything, these similarities did give her a glimmer more of hope toward the idea of changing Regulus's mind when she needed to. Despite the situation she was in, she hadn't stopped thinking about why she was there. She needed Regulus to help her defeat You-Know-Who. It was the least she could do for Harry, and telling by the Dark Mark showing slightly at the edge of his Slytherin jumper, he'd already joined the Dark Lord's ranks.

Hermione was even about to speak again, about what she wasn't sure, but as she opened her mouth in hopes of words leaving her lips, Regulus must have seen her staring at his Mark.

"Well," he suddenly said, pulling down his sleeve, "I should probably go. I was supposed to have our house elf do some chores before Mum comes back." He got up slowly from the closet floor, hesitating slightly as if he was waiting for something. As he moved to the door, Hermione finally spoke.

"R-Regulus!" she said loudly, causing him to turn around with a knowing smirk on his face. She knew he'd expected her to not want him to leave, but she just didn't want to be plunged back into darkness again.

"Yes?" Regulus asked, and Hermione watched as the little smirk grew so that it went from one corner of his mouth all the way to the other. She kept looking up at him, again finding herself at a loss for words as she stared up into his intelligent dark eyes.

"Where's my…my wand? And my…" Hermione's lips parted in surprise as she realized her hand was grasping at her empty chest. The time-turner was no longer around her neck. How could she, after thirty-six hours of nothingness, not have thought to check that it was still there? A new level of stupidity had been reached.

Not to mention how exactly it was Regulus had found it, considering it had been tucked carefully into her shirt. She suddenly felt cold and lonelier than ever.

"Your…necklace?" teased Regulus. He grinned again while looking down into Hermione's shocked face. "I'm pretty sure we both know it isn't just a necklace, but I wouldn't tell you where it was, anyway." There was confidence written all over his face now. "Don't forgot to finish your dinner!" he said, mockingly cheery, before closing the closet door and plunging Hermione back into darkness. The last sound she heard for a long time was the click of the lock.

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><p>Thanks again for reading, and don't forget to review!<p> 


	4. Chapter 3

Thanks to everyone who reviewed!

Credit for everything familiar goes to the incredible J.K. Rowling.

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><p>Regulus didn't know what to do. He had a girl locked in his closet, which had to be a first despite everything he'd done at Hogwarts, and had no idea what to do with her now that he had her. Originally, he'd hoped she would just come clean about why she'd been there, and he would have wiped her memory and let her go. He'd even do the same thing now, except that he was dying with curiosity as to, well, everything about her. He wasn't even sure if Hermione was her real name.<p>

But what really got to him was that she just didn't seem to be the type of person that would do anything to harm…well, anybody. And if she wasn't here to harm him, then what exactly was it she wanted? He lay awake at night thinking about it, constantly glancing at the closet door as if he could see the girl behind it.

Then there was his mother, who was increasingly cruel every day. It could be that his father's recent death combined with his brother Sirius' betrayal had made her bitter, but she'd always been pretty bitter to everyone. Instead, he felt as though she was trying to cover something else up. There had to be a feeling she didn't want him to know about. Why else would she be so secretive?

Not to mention that Regulus missed his father every day. It was hard not to think about him, after he'd put so many protective charms on the house just before his death. It was quite curious, actually, almost as if he'd known he didn't have much longer. One day he was his usual carefree self, and the next he was running around the house like a lunatic tossing enchantments this way and that, and not long after, he was gone.

And then, just a few weeks after, came Hermione.

Oh, Hermione, Hermione: the girl in the closet. She'd made him think about all of this, whether she meant to or not. It was her bravery for walking right up to him, despite the fact that they could very well be enemies. But were they? Should he dare to be kind to her, or even to help her? She'd asked for help when she'd first come, but for whatever reason she'd decided to abandon the request and try to leave.

And to think all this wasn't even what he thought about most. Her eyes, her skin, and just everything about her was different than any other girl he'd ever met. She radiated intelligence and kindness, and all he'd done for her was practically starve her to death in hopes that she would tell him what she was up to. What was wrong with him? Why did he have so much trouble being kind and thinking of others' feelings? He supposed it was a fear of showing weakness, for weakness before the Dark Lord was never forgiven. However, he'd been thinking about the Dark Lord a lot lately, and was no longer sure if all of this was really what he wanted at all.

He was committing treason. It flashed behind his eyes like a warning. Why was he so afraid of the man he and his entire family, aside from his idiot of a brother, lived to serve? Doubt was coursing through his every thought, taking up every moment of every day that he wasn't instead thinking about Hermione.

**oooooooooo**

Hermione was terrified. After all she'd escaped with Harry, Ron, Neville, Luna, Ginny, and everyone from the Order, she'd never felt so utterly hopeless. She had no idea how much time had passed, she couldn't see a thing, and no matter how hard and long she tried to think of an escape, she couldn't come up with anything. It just wasn't like her, to sit around hopelessly, letting her thoughts wander.

Of course she'd thought about trying to apparate, but without her wand any effort would be hopeless, not to mention the numerous protective enchantments that had undoubtedly been put on the house. She'd had a hard enough time finding it, so getting out would be yet another battle in itself.

She had actually become desperate enough to consider just asking Regulus to let her go. Of course, she imagined herself begging him on her knees, with tears running down her face in desperation, but it would never work. She could imagine the amusement on his face as he looked down and watched her being helpless and subordinate.

However, her worst fear had nothing to do with escaping or not escaping, or whether or not she could get home. Her worst fear of all was Regulus finding out who she really was. He knew her name, but he couldn't know where she was really from or, she had realized, why. He was already a Death Eater and there was no way for her to know whether or not he had yet changed his point of view, although with her luck he probably hadn't.

He also couldn't, under any circumstances, find out that Hermione was a muggle-born witch. He was already treating her cruelly, keeping her locked up almost constantly accept to let her out once in a while to use the bathroom, and to bring her food once or twice a day. What he would do if he found out who or what she was was not something Hermione wanted to experience.

She leaned back against the increasingly-familiar closet wall and closed her eyes. What she meant to do was keep thinking of a way to get out, because if there was one thing she would never do, it was give up. However, it wasn't long before she drifted off into a deep, peaceful sleep.

**oooooooooo**

_Everything was foggy and unclear, almost as if the entire world was underwater, but Hermione wouldn't notice this until after she woke up. To her, the dream could have been real._

_It was dark, but the night sky was clear and full of stars as she lay in the soft grass looking up at it. There were birds chirping, and a sound of rain that wasn't there, but this, too, would appear completely normal until later when she'd actually thought about it._

_For now, the only thing she was aware of was the warm hand holding hers. She'd never felt safer or more at home, and a smile spread across her face. She felt so happy; happier than she had been all her life. Was this what it was like to be with the person you loved? She'd always known Ron was the one, or some part of her, deep, deep down, had, but there hadn't been much time to actually be with him. What with the running around defending the wizarding world of dark magic and surviving the other dangers along the way, it was quite difficult to find a moment to tell someone how you felt. She knew he knew, but she wished she could tell him._

_She closed her eyes, still smiling in the soft grass under a sky full of stars, when she felt his lip on hers. So gentle and soft they were, that she could have sworn it must be a spell. This was the most beautiful magic she'd ever experienced, like nothing she'd read about in her books, and she would do anything to make it go on forever._

_Not to mention this was the greatest kiss she'd ever shared with another human being. She couldn't help but reach up with one hand and grasp his hair with it, using the other to run slowly up and down his arm just as a way to feel more of him. That's all she'd ever wanted to do: feel._

_But why was she dreaming all of this now? Hermione supposed it was because of how much she'd been thinking about him, but it felt so familiar, as if they'd been together every moment of every day in this little dream world._

_Suddenly, something was wrong. Hermione's eyes shot open, and her right hand burned so badly, she screamed out in pain. When she looked down to find the source of the heat, she nearly screamed again in shock as she saw the Dark Mark before her on the arm she'd just been holding, and as she looked up into Regulus Black's dark eyes, it was as if some invisible force pulled her right through their dark brown pools and dropped her back into reality._

_**oooooooooo**_

Hermione woke up in a cold sweat. Her hands were clenching the rope that bound them so hard they had begun to bleed, and her throat was as dry as if she hadn't drunk anything for years. She was terrified, her body not only sweaty but shaking from head to toe, and she was colder than she'd ever been in her life.

It hadn't been Ron. She'd been sure she loved him more than anyone, so why did she dream of Regulus? He was the boy that could very well kill her in the near future, and now her unconscious mind was telling her that he was something more? These and many more questions swam through her head as she lay on the floor, hot tears slipping from her eyes as her desperation hit her like a brick wall.

Suddenly, there was a click above her head and the closet door swung open to reveal the real Regulus standing over Hermione, the latter of which was afraid to look up and see the boy about whom she had just dreamt.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" he whispered sharply. "My mother heard you and I had to do a hell of a lot of explaining to convince her it was just an old scratched record I'd left on. Not only did that make me look like an idiot for playing a scratched record, but now she's terribly angry at me for leaving the dinner table at all, and who knows what mood that'll put her in?"

He continued to glare down at Hermione, but as he realized that she'd hardly moved and was still shaking in terror, his face softened slightly and, after glancing quickly behind him to check that his bedroom door was locked, crouched down beside her on the floor.

"What's wrong with you? Why were you screaming?" he asked much more conversationally. However, Hermione was still in no state to reply and continued to lie there with her hands in front of her face to hide her tears.

Regulus sat in silence for a while longer, just looking at Hermione, before standing up again.

"Listen, I have to go back downstairs, but just…just be quiet for now, alright? I'll come back later with some food and we'll…we'll talk." And with that, he slowly shut the door again with a click, and Hermione heard him walk briskly out of the room.

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><p>Thanks for reading! And sorry it was a little short again, I'm just trying to space it out as much as I can.<p>

Don't forget to review!


	5. Chapter 4

Thank you once again for all of your wonderful reviews!

Also, now we're beginning to see the actual plot described by Kreacher to Harry and the others, as to what happened to the locket, etc. It was super fun to write(:

Everything familiar goes to J.K. Rowling.

Enjoy!

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><p>Regulus sat staring at the wall in front of him, and the family tree of the Blacks stared right back. However, there was one spot in particular he couldn't take his eyes from, and that was where his brother Sirius' name had once been. It was just a black smudge now, ever since their wonderful mother had burned away Sirius' name when he'd run away to live with the Potters. The idea of a boy being able to leave his family and therefore nearly his entire life behind just because he didn't agree with them had been plaguing Regulus for weeks, and he often found himself drifting off into deep thought, wondering why someone would do such a thing. Was what they were doing so wrong? He didn't think so.<p>

The pure-bloods needed to_ keep_ their blood pure in order to keep wizards as superior as they deserved to be. It was common sense, really, that muggles were below wizards. Wasn't it? Before Sirius had left, Regulus had thought so. No, he'd known so. He'd known that the purer one's blood was, the more they deserved their magic. Their purity only proved their loyalty to their fellow wizards, after all. It was all he'd ever wanted to do: Prove his loyalty. By not following his idiot brother, he'd done just that, but his current doubts had changed everything. What if, after all this time, Sirius was right?

"Regulus Black!" a cold voice yelled, and he was jolted out of his thoughts. Dinner. With several other death eaters. He couldn't drift away like that now.

"Yes, mother?" Regulus said smoothly as he looked across the table into her dark eyes. He'd also noticed something different about her lately. She'd always been so cruel and impersonal, but she'd been doing things recently, actually ever since her husband died, that just didn't make any sense. The first thing was small, but quite unusual. Instead of just ordering Kreacher to do it, she'd taken the time to make Regulus tea last week, and the entire time he'd listened to her mumble to herself about Sirius, and what a disappointment he was, the trouble he'd saved by leaving instead of wasting the time it would take to send him into exile, etc.

Why was this so strange? Because she never talked about him. No one did, aside from the occasional "thank Merlin you're not your bloody brother" or something like that.

The next occurrence was stranger still. Regulus had been sneaking downstairs to the kitchen to get Hermione some food, but saw his mother standing with her back to him, facing the front door and mumbling some of the most complex protective spells Regulus knew, and some he'd only just heard of. She'd been reinforcing the charms his father had placed on the house just before he'd died. What was it she was so afraid of?

Why she suddenly cared for her only remaining son and feared for their safety, only she knew, because she was now staring back at him with an empty and completely unreadable gaze from across the table. "You were asked a question, Regulus. Is there a problem with your hearing?"

Regulus paused for a moment and looked down at the table in front of him. "No ma'am," he said quietly, looking back up at the wall behind her. He couldn't look at her again without lapsing back into thought, and this clearly wasn't the time.

"Mr. Lestrange asked you how it feels to finally be a part of the Dark Lord's cause," she said. "You are, of course, honored?"

Regulus smiled. This was too easy. There had to be some kind of trick. Were they really just here for dinner to "discuss" his place among them? This was the millionth time he'd been asked the same question, and it had all become a system. "Why yes, without a doubt," he began, still smiling. "Only filth wouldn't want to join the Dark Lord (a few others at the table laughed lightly at this), and I am immensely proud to be able to serve him."

"Then you will agree to let him use our house elf for a time?"

Regulus froze. Their house elf? Kreacher? The elf was the only living being Regulus still considered a friend, now that his father was gone. Was this what his mother had been hiding? No, it couldn't be, because she'd spoken with a tone that only he, knowing her so well, could pick up on. She was terrified. Fear was darkening the shadows under her eyes as if it exhausted her to even feel it.

"Of…of course," he stuttered.

"Why do your words falter?" said a tall man he didn't know to his right. Regulus' heart was beating a thousand miles per hour and increasing to a speed so quick that he was sure it was trying to burst from his chest.

"I do not mean for them to. I only must wonder…why? Why our house elf? I'm sure he has many of his own?"

"The Dark Lord does not bother to associate with any kind lower than his own," continued the man. "However, the job that needs doing can only be done by an elf." He stared at Regulus for a moment, and then said, "Problem?"

Regulus found himself staring once again at the dark spot on the wall that had once been his brother's name, and took a deep breath before answering. "No, no problem. I have no objections," he said steadily.

For the remainder of the evening, Regulus hid his shaking hands under the table and said as little as possible. Show any weakness, and there was no doubt he would be questioned about his real feelings for the plan, in which case he would probably be in big trouble.

When the last guest had gone, Regulus waited for his mother to shuffle off to her room before sneaking into the kitchen where he knew Kreacher would still be cleaning up after the meal. According to the conversations that followed his own, the elf would be taken in the morning, just before dawn, so Regulus would have to speak to him immediately if his plan was to work.

"Kreacher, may I talk to you for a moment?" Regulus said as he leaned against the sink counter and watched as the little elf paused his cleaning and looked up.

"Of course, Master Regulus. What can Kreacher do for you, sir?" he said with a deep bow.

"Kreacher," he began, "the Dark Lord is going to take you somewhere. Where, I do not know, but he needs you to help him with a task. You are to do exactly as he says, do you hear me? Everything he says, down to the letter, but as soon as you are done," he paused again, "you are to come straight back here. Do you understand me, Kreacher?"

The elf nodded and bowed even deeper than before. "Of course, Master Regulus, of course. It is an honor to be chosen, sir. Thank you, sir."

"Kreacher, look at me. You must come home. Everything depends on you returning here safely. You are to do whatever it takes to get back."

The elf again responded with several "yes sirs" and another bow, and Regulus bid him a goodnight before rushing from the room before the tears could leave his eyes. Weakness was something he should not show, shouldn't even have, and yet he did, and he couldn't help it, and that was what had changed his mind. He could love. He loved Kreacher, he'd loved Sirius, and he'd finally realized that he might love Hermione.

**oooooooooo**

Hermione was again huddled in the corner of the closet. The second Regulus had shut the door behind him, she had burst into tears again, her entire body continuing to shake with each gasp. Why had she come here at all? She had to get out. There was nothing in the world she wanted more than to get away from this hellish place.

Her immediate thought once he'd left was that he'd done this. He had put visions in her mind in order to unsettle her and force her to give in to his demands for information. However, the idea had been shot down almost as quickly as it had come to her. Why? Was he really that twisted? If he was, she'd been wrong about him anyway, but she couldn't be. He'd done what he'd done for a reason, and she was here to find out what that reason was. Had he found out something about Voldemort that had caused him to change his mind? Was there someone else she, Harry, and Ron didn't know about? Some other factor?

She laid there, clutching her knees to her chest and going through these question in her mind over and over. What was it? There had to be something she was missing. The problem was, she didn't often miss things, and she'd been here for what she thought, although she couldn't be sure, was a few weeks now. Also, while no time would have passed in the present, she couldn't help but think about if she was never able to come back, and whether anyone would miss her; If they would even notice her absence. Her parents would. Harry would, too. Ron would.

Oh, Ron. How could this have happened? Maybe they weren't meant to be, after all. Six years, and they still hadn't told each other how they felt. Hermione knew how she felt, and she imagined Ron returned the feelings, but would it ever happen? At this rate, at least if she didn't escape this soon, their chances didn't seem too good.

The thought caused her eyes to fill with salty tears again, but no matter how hard she cried, she knew it wouldn't bring them to her or her back to them. This was her battle, and her mistake, and she had to do everything in her power to get out of it. However, crying wouldn't help.

Hermione sat up and wiped her eyes with a dirty bound hand. All she had to do was concentrate. What did she know about Regulus and this house? There were no secret pathways, that she knew of, but even if there were, they were surely protected by the same numerous charms that were on the house when she'd been here before, or after, relative to the time she'd come from.

_It's hopeless_, she thought to herself. _How can I get out of here if I hardly understand the magic behind how I got here in the first place?_

She leaned against the wall and closed her eyes, thinking of all the good times she'd had at Hogwarts, her friends, her parents, and anything else positive that could help her forget about the place she was stuck in now, when an all-too-familiar click above her head woke her from her reverie, and she opened her eyes to see a food-laden Regulus standing before her. He set the tray down on the floor and kneeled in front of her, taking her hands in his own.

"Hermione, I know you came here for my help, and that you're afraid, for whatever reason, to tell me why, but now…" he said, and he paused and looked deep into her eyes as if attempting to read her mind. The gaze was so hard, Hermione felt as if she was supposed to look away, but couldn't make herself move. She was frozen with her eyes staring right back. "Now, Hermione, I need yours. Help me, Hermione. Please, help me."

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><p>Thanks for reading, and don't forget to review again!<p> 


	6. Chapter 5

Sorry the update took a little longer than usual. It was a combination of be being really busy and me not knowing exactly how to write this chapter. I ended up liking half of it, and hating the other. Figures(: Enjoy!

Everything familiar goes to J.K. Rowling.

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><p>Hermione stared at Regulus in disbelief. Was he serious? This must be some new mind game he was trying on her.<p>

"Wh-what?" she stammered. First he'd been almost kind to her, telling her he wanted to talk when he'd found her sobbing. Now this? What was it exactly he wanted her to do? If there was anything she didn't owe him at this point, it was a favor.

Regulus sighed and let go of her hands. This could be harder than he'd thought. She was, after all, locked in his closet, and he was the one who'd put her there. Had he really expected her to trust him? But he needed her to. This was the most daring, and probably the most stupid, thing he'd ever done.

"Hermione, I need your help. There's something I have to do, but I'm not exactly sure how. I have this idea though…"

"Excuse me?" Hermione said, finally finding her voice. "You lock me in here for Merlin knows how long, and then you expect me to just fucking obey you?" she scoffed. "You must be joking. Honestly."

She pulled her knees in tight against her chest and looked away from Regulus, who was now looking back at her open-mouthed.

"Well, no, I didn't think you would, but…"

"But…what? You're still asking me anyway?" Hermione glared back at him again. "Why? What's so important? What is _so_ important that you'd drop your _stupid_ façade to actually ask me for help?"

Regulus took a deep breath, trying to come up with something to say. He knew she'd probably give him a hard time, but he hadn't expected this reaction. Plus, with everything that had happened with Kreacher, he was still a bit shaken.

Regulus looked back into her eyes, trying desperately to read them but seeing only pure hatred. He sighed and glanced away, no longer able to hold Hermione's gaze.

"I know who you really are," he finally blurted out.

Hermione gasped. He couldn't. Not really. Not unless he knew what the time-turner was. He still couldn't know everything, though. Could he?

"I know you must think I'm lying," Regulus said as if reading her mind. "I know what your necklace is. I'm not an idiot. Why do you think I took it?"

He paused for a moment, and took a deep breath. Everything had fallen into place. He wasn't sure exactly how, but it had. Just now, downstairs, surrounded by half of the Dark Lord's inner circle, he'd realized far more than he should have, and the nights he'd laid awake staring at the ceiling pondering everything he knew of Hermione and the Dark Lord had finally paid off.

"You're from the future," Regulus finally said, a tiny, familiar smirk forming on his face. "And to do it with a little time-turner must have been a struggle, so whatever it was you came here for must be pretty important."

Hermione was still staring at him in shock. The tables had so unexpectedly turned, and she'd never seen this coming.

"You couldn't…but…" she stuttered, but her words left her as soon as they'd come, and she just kept staring at Regulus with wide eyes.

"Forget all of that, Hermione," he began again, taking her hands back into his. "You came all the way here to ask for my help, and you must have trusted me to do that, so I will do the same." He smiled. "Please, help me."

Hermione just kept looking at him speechlessly. Was he serious? What was it with this sudden kindness? He obviously wanted something from her, but she was in so much shock, her mind couldn't grasp what it could be. So she decided she would just ask him.

"What do you want?" she whispered.

Regulus raised his eye brows. "Well, it's sort of a long story…"

But Hermione just nodded silently, and so Regulus told her everything.

It began the day his father died.

Orion Black had never had any enemies. At least not that Regulus knew of, but maybe it was because his father was the only person he'd known had ever loved him. He'd never been closer to another human being, which was also why Regulus had decided that his father would be the first person he ever told of his gift of the Dark Mark.

However, it was Orion's reaction that Regulus would never forget. His father, always so strong, had broken down in tears. It was the night Mr. Black had run throughout 12 Grimmauld Place muttering charm after protective charm. The next day, he was gone.

No funeral. No nothing; just the word of his mother, claiming that a Death Eater had sent an owl saying he was gone. It was the first time in a long time Regulus could remember feeling so much at once. So much emotion was surging inside him, and he had no idea what to do with it.

Afterward, he felt empty, going about each day as if there was nothing to look forward to, because there wasn't. It was also not soon after that he began thinking about Sirius again, who had run away a few months before.

How could he have been so unfaithful to his family? Whether he believed in what they were doing or not, he had no right to leave them. In Regulus' mind, he was being weak and selfish, and for that, he probably didn't belong here anyway.

This was when the connections began to make sense. It seemed as if everyone around Regulus who did anything against the Dark Lord, anyone he actually cared about, was taken from him in one way or another.

And now the only one he had left, Kreacher, was being stolen, by someone sick enough to ask Regulus' permission despite the fact that he knew he couldn't refuse. But this time, he wouldn't let him get away with it. The lengths the Dark Lord went to to insure his power and status were sick and selfish and wrong, and it had taken Regulus far too long to realize it.

"I have to know what he's doing," finished Regulus after first describing how he'd told Kreacher to return after he'd completed his task. "A house elf's first rule is that their master's bidding is to be obeyed, always. No matter what. That way, we'll know…"

"WE?" Hermione shrieked. She'd been silent for the entire story, so her shout made Regulus jump. It was a good think he'd decided to put a Muffliato charm on the door when he'd come in.

Hermione, on the other hand, had no idea what she was feeling.

A part of her was overjoyed. She'd been right after all! He had changed, and for all the right reasons! But at the same time, she couldn't help but be concerned. She knew he died at a young age, but…this couldn't be it, could it? Lord Voldemort couldn't waste his time on a boy? Unless he really was going to find out something he shouldn't…

"I'm sorry, it's just that, well…I thought that if you really did come from the future, you must know what I'm going to find out. I mean, is that why you came to see me? Did you need to know how I did it? Or…" Regulus muttered away excitedly, the smile growing on his face so that it spread from cheek to cheek.

Hermione was just staring at him, realization creeping into her bones. As much as she'd wanted to escape from here before now, she'd never been so desperate to get away. Her eyes brimmed with tears, and she pulled her gaze away from the boy before her, no longer able to accept the fact that he wouldn't be here much longer.

The locket. R.A.B.

Regulus Arcturus Black.

Did he know?

"Hermione…"

"Let me go," she whispered.

"Hermione, please. Don't do this," Regulus pleaded, his face suddenly stretched with guilt and a sadness he hadn't known he could possess.

"LET ME GO, NOW!" Hermione yelled, causing Regulus to stand up and take out his wand. He would never use it on her, not now, but he hoped she didn't know that.

The tears were running down Hermione's face, and she still couldn't bring herself to look at Regulus. She didn't even care if he cursed her into oblivion. Maybe she'd forget all about this stupid trip back in time to find a boy that she ended up caring far too much about. And how he would die.

"A friend of mine," she began quietly, and Regulus put his wand away and crouched down in front of her so that he could hear, "her name was Luna, and she once told a boy in your very same situation that by taking away the people around you and making you feel alone, you will be less of a threat."

For the first time in the last few minutes, Hermione managed a look up at Regulus' face, only to see that he was crying nearly as much as she was.

"But he was never alone, and neither are you," she said.

Regulus just looked at her in silence, tears streaming down his face for the first time since he was a child. He could hardly even see the girl before him any more when he felt her lips on his, but he leaned forward blindly anyway and moved his hand around until it found her lower back.

He'd been shocked at her first reaction and her feisty retorts, but this was definitely unpredicted. However, Regulus didn't mind. He'd been wanting to kiss her since the moment he'd seen her on his doorstep, but then everything had gone terribly wrong. He'd let himself get caught up in his own mask of arrogance, but now he'd finally realized why he'd always been so uneasy about becoming a Death Eater.

He knew how to love.

Hermione, on the other hand, was terrified. Why was she doing this? It seemed as if she were coming up with bad ideas left and right lately, and for whatever reason, she kept blindly acting on them. But the longer this kiss went on, the more she realized how right it was. She felt the same way she had in her dream, except better. This was real.

She pulled away so that she could look at him again. They were both still crying, Hermione because she didn't know what else to do, and Regulus because it had been too long since he had.

"Is that a yes, then?" he asked with a smirk. "Will you help me?"

Hermione wiped some of the tears away with a sleeve. Her face was drenched, but she didn't really care.

"Yeah," she finally whispered. "I'll help you."

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><p>Thanks again for reading! Don't forget to review! :D<p> 


	7. Chapter 6

Once again, so sorry for the long wait! This past week has been a combination of being really busy and just not feeling inspired enough to write.

Therefore, this chapter definately isn't the best, but I felt like I should finally get around to updating, so I did my best! Enjoy!

Everything familiar goes to J.K. Rowling!

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><p>Hermione sat on a chair in the corner of the bedroom, staring at the wall opposite without seeing it. She could hear Regulus ruffling through his many papers of notes a few feet away, but she felt as if she didn't have the strength to turn and look at him anymore. For hours, they'd been scouring every book in the house for information that could be usual to them to defeat Voldemort, and although Regulus insisted on scribbling down anything that was even slightly promising, Hermione knew that nothing they had would help them. And even if Harry had told her everything he'd been through with Dumbledore the night the headmaster had died, Hermione doubted she would be able to bring herself to divulge much to Regulus. Anything she said would only bring him closer to death.<p>

So she sat in silence, her hands finally unbound but raw from the ropes. Regulus had offered to heal them, but she'd refused. She did not want to be in debt to him.

"Okay, let's recap," said Regulus. "This list is of dark spells of medium destructive strength, this one is of defensive spells and hexes, and this one…"

"Regulus?" Hermione whispered. The boy's head shot up in surprise, as this was the first thing she'd said in a while.

"Y-yes?" he asked, unsure of what was to come.

Hermione sighed and looked out of the window, blinking slightly in the unfamiliar sunlight. "I think we should just wait for Kreacher to come back, don't you? He'll tell us what we need to know."

She finally brought herself to look around at him, and her lip quivered slightly at the sight of his beautiful eyes looking back at her.

Regulus was puzzled at first, but a huge grin soon found its way across his face. "My bad, love. You're from the future, aren't you? You should know what to do then. You should know exactly what the fuck to do," he said sharply, dropping the papers in his hands and letting them flutter back to the floor and land in a heap. Hermione eyes filled with moisture again, and she looked blankly back out of the window.

"Do you even know how hard this is for me? Have you even begun to think? I'm trying to defeat a man, no…a monster, who has already taken everything I love away from me and who could very well kill me at any moment, so I am so fucking sorry if I'm not doing this the way you'd like it to be done."

Regulus stared at the back of Hermione's head, a vein in his forehead bulging in his anger. How dare she say something like that when all he was trying to do was help? It wasn't right, and if she'd been anyone else, he would've…

Regulus gasped as he realized his hand had worked its way down to the wand in his pocket. What he'd have done if he hadn't stopped himself…

"Hermione, I'm…I'm sorry, I just…"

"No," she said quietly from the corner. "You're right. You're the one I should feel sorry for." She turned to look at him once more, and Regulus couldn't help but notice that she was no longer crying. In fact, he'd never seen her more confident as she then stood up and walked over to him, her eyes never leaving his.

"I once knew another boy who made all the wrong choices."

She was referring to Draco, of course, who was a boy that, while she often did hate him, she also sometimes felt twinges of pity for. However, there was nothing she could do for him anymore, and so she would do whatever she could to help Regulus instead.

Before her, Regulus was practically fuming again, but Hermione ignored him. She knew he had a lot of regrets. He wasn't very good at hiding it, considering how hard he was now working to do whatever he could to make things better, or to just get revenge, the latter of which could be extremely dangerous.

"Hermione you don't know what I…," Regulus began calmly, but Hermione put a finger on his lips before he could continue.

Every moment she was with him, Hermione was conflicted with her sudden feelings about Regulus. At first, she did what anyone in her situation would do, and hated the boy who had all too soon become her captor. However, the more she thought about it, the stronger she felt for him and his safety.

What really killed her inside was the fact that, once again, her responsibility would have to come far before her emotions. She wanted nothing more than to save him from his terrible and untimely fate, but Hermione also knew that changing things that weren't meant to happen could be disastrous. Sure, they'd done it during third year, but only with both the help and blessing of Albus Dumbledore, the greatest wizard who'd ever lived. This time, Hermione was on her own.

"No, I really don't know what you're going through, Reg," she whispered. She'd never noticed how tall he was before, and she had to stand on her toes to kiss him now, but it was well worth it. Hermione had never felt this way about anyone before, but she still couldn't help but wish that she'd fallen for someone, anyone, else.

Regulus, on the other hand, hadn't been this happy in a long time. Alone with his mother, most days had felt not only lonely, but dark and unpromising as if nothing different or worth doing would ever happen. Now, Hermione had shown up on his doorstep as if it were fate knocking, and she had become the only light in his life. While one part of him was weary of trusting her, the other part would do anything to keep her safe.

"What was that for?" Regulus said after Hermione had pulled away. "And did you really just call me Reg? Who are you and what did you do with Hermione?" he added with a smile.

Hermione laughed. "I just felt like it," she replied with a shrug.

Suddenly, they were interrupted with a loud "CRACK" and a heaving, wide-eyed Kreacher stood in the middle of the room.

"Kreacher!" Regulus exclaimed as he ran over to the soaking-wet elf, who had now collapsed on the floor still gasping for breath. "Kreacher, calm down. What happened?"

The house elf remained on the floor until he'd finally appeared to have caught his breath, and then sat up to face the two humans who had taken a seat beside him.

"Master Regulus, sir, Kreacher did just as you asked. In the morning, he was told to go to the Dark Lord, and so he went to him. Kreacher went to him, Master."

"And?" Regulus prodded. "What happened? Tell us, Kreacher. Why did the Dark Lord need the help of an elf?"

Kreacher looked from Regulus to Hermione and back again before launching into the tale.

"At first, the Dark Lord did not tell Kreacher where they were going or what they were to do, but he took Kreacher to a massive cave beside the sea. Inside the cave, there was a dark cavern tainted green, from moisture or magic, Kreacher could not tell.

"Suddenly, what was once a smooth stone opened to reveal a great black lake…and there was a boat…and the Dark Lord wasted no time in explaining to Kreacher, that only one magical being could cross the lake in the boat, but because I was an elf, I would be able to accompany him, and so we floated across the lake, and the water was smooth as glass, and, and…there was a b-basin of potion on a tiny island in the middle of the water…

Kreacher paused. The words seemed to be more difficult to get out as he went.

"The D-Dark Lord m-made Kreacher drink the potion.."

Kreacher's gasping breaths returned, and Regulus shook his head and closed his eyes. "Kreacher," he said, "I am so, so sorry…"

"No, Master Regulus, it was an honor to be chosen. Kreacher has only gratitude."

"Kreacher, what happened next?" Hermione asked quietly. She was terrified of what might happen next, as well as of what all of this might mean, but she couldn't ignore the feeling that whatever it was Kreacher was about to say was extremely important.

"Kreacher saw many, many terrible things…" the elf continued with a shiver. "Kreacher's insides burned like fire, and Kreacher begged for Master Regulus to save him from the horrors, and he cried for Mistress Black, but all Kreacher could hear was the Dark Lord laughing beside him. He made Kreacher drink all of the potion, and then Kreacher watched as the Dark Lord dropped a locket into the now-empty basin, and fill it with more of the evil potion.

"And then…then the Dark Lord sailed away again in the little boat, leaving Kreacher to stay by himself on the island. But Kreacher was so…so th-thirsty, and so Kreacher crawled to the edge of the water, and drank from the blackness, but before the water reached his lips…white hands, dead hands, reached out and grabbed Kreacher, and started to drag him into the water…"

"And so you came home, just as I'd asked, didn't you Kreacher?" Regulus asked.

Kreacher nodded and lay back down on the floor.

Hermione's face looked as if she'd just been slapped. This was exactly the sort of thing Voldemort would do. He wouldn't even hesitate using a house-elf to do something like this. To someone like Voldemort, a house-elf would be just another low-life creature that could be left to die without a single repercussion.

She turned to look at Regulus, who's eyes were full of a fear she'd never seen in him before.

"Kreacher," he began quietly.

"Yes, Master?" Kreacher said, jumping up immediately to hear the next demands of his beloved Master.

"I want…I want you to stay hidden," Regulus said. "Stay hidden, and whatever you do, don't leave the house."

Kreacher hesitated for a moment, almost as if he was puzzled by the order, but a second later he'd risen to his feet and began shuffling away, most likely to find somewhere to hide.

Meanwhile, Hermione couldn't look away from not only the fear, but also the worry in Regulus' face, as if the information they'd just heard was worse than he'd ever imagined. However, Hermione felt somewhat in the dark, and huffed impatiently at the fact that someone could have figured something out before she had.

Suddenly Regulus was ruffling through the papers he'd so studiously been writing on just minutes before. It appeared almost as if he'd lost his mind, madly throwing aside anything that got in the way of his desperate search, for what, Hermione didn't know.

Finally, he picked up what he must have been looking for, because a huge grin spread across his face as he read whatever it was he'd written on it.

"This is it," he said to himself. He sounded more like he was just thinking aloud than actually talking to Hermione, and so she remained silent in hopes he would remember she was still sitting beside him. However, she noticed something that made her cringe. There was a madness in Regulus' eyes that was too much like the look in Sirius' eyes when she, Harry, and Ron had met him in the Shrieking Shack in their third year. It was the night, the very moment, that Sirius realized it would soon be possible to finally commit the murder he'd been falsely accused of twelve years before.

As the memory of a mad Sirius came back to her, Hermione decided she needed to snap Regulus out of this trance he was in, and so she loudly cleared her throat as a reminder to her presence. The bloodlust in Regulus' eyes vanished as quickly as it had appeared, and he looked over at her. The smile from before still remained, but now it was blank, just a ghost of what it once was.

"Horcruxes, Hermione. The Dark Lord is creating and protecting Horcruxes."

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><p>Thanks so everyone for reading! I really appreciate it. Also, don't forget to review! :D<p> 


	8. Chapter 7

For a while while I was writing this, I didn't think I would even post it, or maybe I would put it up as a one-shot or something, and I still kinda think I should've because it is a bit "out there". However, I've given in and so here it is! It's a different writing style than usual, with a little flashback, and a sexy scene that I wrote quite terribly (any tips? add them to your review lol) Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

I still don't own Harry Potter. Unfortunately.

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><p>Hermione was lying beside Regulus, staring up at the ceiling with a smile on her face. She could hear him breathing softly beside her, completely unaware to the world around him. Of course, it was in the middle of the night, but Hermione just couldn't help but keep turning on her side and watching him sleep. He'd never looked so peaceful. It was as if his dreams were the only place in which he wasn't constantly plagued by regret.<p>

Hermione frowned at the thought of Regulus' painful past. Sometimes she wished she could take the time-turner and go back just far enough to…well, what she would do to help him, she really had no idea. She still couldn't help but wonder about what would happen if she could just go back and warn a younger Regulus of what was to come. At least he would've been prepared. But in all honestly, could one ever be prepared to lose everyone they'd ever cared about? Probably not, as Hermione was fortunate to never having lost a close family member.

Suddenly she was thinking of Cedric, and the future Sirius, and most of all Professor Dumbledore. All of them had been in her life at some point, and much of the time she wasn't thinking about her time with Regulus that night, she found her thoughts wandering back to all the people that had lost their lives so far in the battles she, Ron, Harry, and the rest of their friends were still fighting.

And she remembered that Regulus, too, would be one of the fallen.

She had to save him. She just had to. Hermione knew she wouldn't be able to live with herself if she didn't, not to mention just how sad, how lost, she would be the moment he was no longer in her life.

When she'd first shown up on his doorstep, and looked into the familiar dark eyes that also belonged to his brother, Hermione had felt something different. However, at the time her thoughts were clouded by the idea that she couldn't have been more stupid, and that coming here was a terrible idea, and so on.

She turned to look at the dark-haired boy beside her again; at his peaceful features and silent lips, remembering how they'd tasted a mere hour or two before.

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><p><strong>Earlier that night:<strong>

"Hermione, please. You cannot be serious. A mother fucking Mudblood? That's…"

"I'm so sorry, Regulus," Hermione snapped. "It must be so unfortunate to find out you've touched a Mudblood, let alone kissed one."

It had been about forty-eight hours since the realization of Voldemort's intentions with Horcruxes, and ever since, Hermione and Regulus had been working practically around the clock to try to find enough information about them to devise a plan. Unfortunately, the only information they'd had inside the house had been the single page about the objects that had originally tipped Regulus off. Also unfortunate was the fact that the only thing the book actually contained was the word, "Horcrux", and a loose definition of them, including things like "piece of soul" and "easier to be protected or hidden".

Aside from that, and a few other words neither of them understood, there was nothing on how to create one, find one, or destroy it afterward. Therefore, frustration, along with mumbled insults and empty threats of hexes, had been occurring frequently.

"Hermione, you know I don't give a fuck about that. It's just that, well…"

"What, you think you're family will care who you're with? The fact that your mother hasn't cared enough to even check up on you up here, despite the fact you hardly ever leave this room anymore, really makes her look like the caring type. Not to mention how much Sirius cared about you. He fucking left you here to rot all alone!"

The moment the words left her mouth, Hermione knew she'd made a mistake. Regulus had called her a Mudblood, but…

"Reg, you know I didn't mean it like that. I'm sure he cares…"

"No," said Regulus. All the anger had left his voice and was now replaced with sadness. "No, you did mean it like that, and you're right. I am alone."

She watched as the boy sat down on the floor amongst all the piles of books and papers they'd collected over the last couple of days and put his head in his hands, a gesture he'd been doing more often than ever lately. It was almost as if he was completely run-down by life. As if he were done.

Hermione walked over to him from the other side of the room. She hadn't meant to tell him what she was, but they'd begun arguing over the stupid pronunciation of a spell, and before she'd known it, she'd let it slip.

"I didn't mean it, Regulus," she said quietly. Hermione looked down at her hands for a moment, then folded them in her lap and looked back up at Regulus. "Listen, I've never lost anyone like you have. I just don't know what the line is. I should by now, considering how many of my friends have lost people. How many have lost parents, even. I'm sorry."

Regulus sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity, and for a moment Hermione actually thought he might not forgive her, but he finally looked over at her with tears in his eyes. "I know you are, but you shouldn't be apologizing," he said with a sigh. "I let my anger get to me over a stupid little argument, and I shouldn't have called you a Mudblood. Your response was just in defense, really."

Hermione broke his eye contact and smiled to herself. She could tell by the change in his voice that he wasn't used to apologizing, but she didn't care. If anything, it made her appreciate his words even more. She was starting to believe that he really had changed.

The problem, however, was the fact that he'd changed for her. Time was a tricky thing, and it shouldn't be messed with. Before she'd come, all Hermione really knew about Regulus was that he'd died at a young age due to something caused by or related to Voldemort. She'd only decided he could help her because she figured he'd done something wrong to make the Dark Lord angry. Finding a horcrux seemed like the perfect reason to make a monster like Voldemort mad, maybe even terrified, enough to kill you. But if Regulus had changed for Hermione, what had caused the change in him before she'd come?

On the other hand, there was always the chance that she'd always been meant to come here and seek the help of the boy beside her.

"Anyway," Hermione finally said, "we should probably get back to working, but I feel like we should stay clear of that last spell. Another useless argument doesn't seem like the best time-saving strategy we could…"

Regulus' lips against hers broke her off from completing her sentence, but it was only a moment before she'd forgotten what she was about to say anyway and kissed him back.

After a while, Hermione was the one to finally break away, practically gasping for breath. "What was that for?" she eventually said with a laugh.

Regulus just shrugged and smiled. "Felt like it, I guess. Not to mention that these last couple of days, I haven't been able to keep my eyes off of you." He paused for a moment, and Hermione watched in silence as an internal struggle played out across his face. "I…" he eventually continued. "I just, I think I'm…"

"Shhh," Hermione whispered before kissing him again. Despite the fact that no boy had ever told her he loved her, Hermione just didn't want to hear it. Not from Regulus, while they had so little time left. Not to mention the part of her that was just in denial at the mere idea of anyone finding her attractive.

Regulus didn't object, but instead kissed Hermione back more passionately than she'd ever been kissed. It was quite strange to her to feel the way she felt, because, to be honest, she couldn't even think of any way to describe it. It was completely new.

Before she knew it, she could feel Regulus' warm hand moving slowly underneath her shirt and up her bare back. In return, she grabbed a handful of his hair with one hand and his cheek with the other, pulling him even closer.

Regulus was also sensing the sudden emotion. The feeling of wanting to feel as much of Hermione's skin on his own as soon as humanly possible swept over him, and he paused only for a moment to take his own shirt off before continuing to kiss Hermione, moving his lips to the corner of her mouth, to her cheek bones, and down to her neck.

She let Regulus pick her up and carry her to his bed, sitting her down and taking her shirt off before continuing to kiss her gently all over. As he traced her collar bone with his lips, she just couldn't help but laugh. This sense of recklessness was something she'd never experienced before, and it was the first time in a long time, if not ever, that she was willing to go so blindly into such new territory.

She'd just never wanted to trust someone this much before.

Regulus pushed her back, a bit more roughly than he'd been before, and laid on top of her, but Hermione was still smiling widely.

"What's so funny?" he said, returning her grin.

Hermione just shook her head and kissed him again. There was just no way for her to describe the kind of happiness coursing through her, and from then on, she just let go.

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><p>Hermione smiled again up into the darkness and moved closer toward Regulus. She just couldn't help but replay everything through her head. It was so out-of-body and unusual for her that she still couldn't believe it had happened.<p>

Still, the memory of what they were really supposed to be working on, finding out about Horcruxes that is, kept lingering in the back of her mind. There must be something they could use to find it and get rid of it, without losing anyone's life.

Hermione sighed and found herself once again looking over at Regulus. Tears found their way into her eyes again and began to spill over. It was almost as if she would have to choose between the boy she loved and the friends she'd left behind to come here. Should she let Regulus continue on this insane journey to find the thing that would ultimately lead to his death? Or should she prevent it from ever happening and run the risk of Harry going after it, thus losing her best friend in the process instead?

She could hardly even see the boy beside her through her tears anymore, but she reached out a hand to where she thought his cheek would be and brushed it gently.

"I love you," she whispered, more to herself than anyone else.

Eventually, Hermione turned over, her shoulders shaking gently with silent sobs until she finally drifted off into a deep sleep.

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><p>See what I mean by being terrible at writing sexual stuff? Anyway, thanks for reading and please review!<p> 


	9. Chapter 8

I am _so_ sorry about my awfulness lately! I stared school about a month ago, and ever since, everything has been totally crazy, so I haven't had any time to update at all. Therefore, I also realize that this chapter isn't very good or very long at all, but I felt so bad about taking so long that I just had to put something up for you all! Thanks again for reading and for all your lovely reviews. I'm planning on at least one chapter after this, maybe two, to finish off the fic. I know it's short, but it's my first fic so I didn't want to push it. Anyway, sorry for this long, pointless author's note, and please enjoy this chapter!

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><p>Her tears were silent, but so had been the truth the entire time she'd been here. How could Hermione ever tell Regulus, whom she was nearly positive she'd fallen in love with, that he was meant to die? She could hardly live with it herself. Yet, here she was, stretched out on the cold, hard wooden floor of his room while he was off somewhere else on Death Eater business.<p>

Meanwhile, she'd been laying alone in the darkness trying desperately to come up with a way to break to Regulus the truth. She would tell him from the very beginning, of how Voldemort had become a monster, not just the dark magic leader he was now. She'd tell him all about Harry, and how, for longer than he could remember, he'd been chosen to bring the Dark Lord down because Voldemort had tried to destroy Harry as a mere baby.

Regulus had to be told to run.

She heard the doorknob on the other side of the room slowly turn, and the door opened with a click to reveal Regulus's shadow letting itself in. Hermione lay still, pretending she was asleep. She still hadn't decided how she was going to tell him the truth.

Hermione watched as Regulus shuffled over to the coat rack and shrugged off his heavy travel cloak. His back was hunched over with exhaustion as if he was carrying the weight of the word on his shoulders. She knew what she was about to say wouldn't help him to get rid of that worry.

"Regulus," she whispered into the darkness. Regulus' figure froze, but not before straightening up into its usual proud stance.

"Hermione? I thought you'd fallen asleep," he whispered back. "And why are you on the floor?"

Hermione shrugged, even though she knew he probably didn't she her. "I just didn't feel like moving I guess," she said as she rolled over onto her stomach and pushed her stiff body up to a standing position. "Where've you been?"

Even though she couldn't see his face, she knew it had just become stern. "I told you never to ask me," he replied. "You know I couldn't tell you, even if I wanted to."

Yes, Hermione know. But she still couldn't resist asking. She so desperately wanted to help him, but right now, she also knew she couldn't. She was just subconsciously doing everything she could to procrastinate.

"I'm sorry Reg," she said quietly. It was time. "We have to talk." Regulus' silhouette turned toward her, but didn't respond. "Actually, I'm the one who has to talk. You might want to sit down, and I'll get a candle."

Immediately she turned away toward the drawer where the candles and matches were, fighting back tears. She'd been avoiding all of this, the truth that is, but she knew she couldn't keep it hidden any more. If this trip was going to be worth it, she had to tell Regulus everything.

After fumbling around in the dark for a few moments, Hermione finally struck a match and lit a candle, then stuck it into the stand next to the side of the bed that Regulus had sat on. Upon seeing his face, Hermione almost gasped. Wherever he'd been, it had been stressful enough to add 10 years to his handsome features. The rings under his eyes were dark purple, and there were creases in his forehead that hadn't been there that morning.

For a moment Hermione just stared at him. She knew nothing would be the same after she spoke, and she didn't want to forget the way he looked at her.

"There's a lot I've never told you," she began, "that I think you need to know."

First, she told him about Harry Potter, the boy who was now a legend. She also told him why he was one, as well as everything else she knew about what Voldemort and his Death Eaters had done. She told him she'd come here to find help, because at the moment, the outlook for the world seemed pretty grim, but now she wasn't so sure it had been a good idea. However, he didn't tell him the part she'd been dreading. He couldn't die. She wouldn't let him happen.

The entire time she'd spoken, which had to have been over an hour, Regulus' face never changed. He just listened in silence, still as a statue with his eyes focused on the floor, and when she was done, Hermione wasn't even sure he was still listening until he finally spoke.

"I'm sorry," he said without moving. Hermione studied him open-mouthed.

"Why would you be sorry, Reg? I'm the one who came here expecting you to help, even though it turns out you have a lot more problems of your own already. How selfish could I be?"

"No, Hermione. I'm the selfish one. All this time I was making you help me try to defeat the Dark Lord, when that's all you ever wanted anyway. How could I have been so stupid?" He finally turned to look at her, and put his hand gently on her cheek. "I love you, Hermione, and I'm so glad you told me why you're here. I was afraid to ask, but I'm not afraid anymore. I know what we have to do."

Regulus smiled and jumped up, and Hermione followed him out the bedroom door and all the way down to the kitchen. "Stay here," he said at the end of the hall before going into the kitchen without her.

"Kreacher?" he called out into the darkness. "Kreacher, where are you?"

After a few moments of silence, there was a raspy reply. "Master Regulus?"

Regulus rushed forward to Kreacher as the little elf came out from his cabinet. "Kreacher, thank Merlin. You need to do something for me, alright? You need to take me to the cave that the D…that Voldemort took you too, that night he called you to help him."

Kreacher stared at the boy in front of him in surprise. There was a wildness in his eyes that even the House Elf could see. "Of course, Master Regulus, of course. Anything for you, sir."

Regulus smiled, his teeth glowing white as he grinned wickedly. "Kreacher, I have to introduce you to someone, and you to never, ever tell anyone about her ever again. After tonight, you will forget you've ever seen her at all." He paused and turned around toward the door. "Hermione," he whispered."Come in here, please."

Hermione walked in slowly. She'd heard the whole conversation between Regulus and his elf, but the face that met her was terrifying. It had been a while since she'd remembered what Sirius had looked like that night in the Shrieking Shack. He'd been crazed with excitement at the thought of killing Peter Pettigrew, and now Regulus mirrored that look at the realization of being able to take down Tom Riddle. It was as if it was the only thing in the entire world that mattered anymore.

"Let's go," he said as he took Kreacher's hand and motioned for Hermione to do the same. There was no going back now, and as Hermione took the elf's little hand in her own, she thought back to the way things had been just hours before, and how they would be when Regulus was gone. Before she knew it, the three were sucked away into blackness.


	10. Chapter 9

Author's Note: First of all, I would like to apologize. I hardly even remember the last time I updated this, and I am incredibly sorry. Senior year has hit me like a brick wall, and I've been tested mentally and physically for the last few several months. Anyway, this is the second to last chapter of this story, and I'm still not exactly sure how I want to end it, but I leaning farther one way than I am the other. The point is, I'm now on winter break, so for the next three weeks, I'll be sitting at home doing nothing, and should have no problem with updating. Until the last chapter is up, please enjoy this one. I wrote it in a matter of about an hour, my fingers going maddeningly fast the entire time as the ideas rushed to me. I've been away for far too long. All credit for familiar plot/characters/etc goes to JK Rowling. Enjoy!

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><p>"What are you doing?" Hermione yelled as Regulus put a knife to his arm.<p>

He looked back at her and smiled. "Earning our passage."

They had just apparated to a large rock in the middle of a cold, rainy inlet, and now Hermione was shivering behind Regulus Black as she watched his blood drip down his arm, off of his fingers, and onto the solid-looking rock in front of them. Ever since they had left 12 Grimmauld Place, he'd been acting strange, almost insane, his eyes flashing every which way with excitement.

"Come here," he said with a gesture of his uninjured arm, and Hermione was stunned as the cave wall before them crumbled beneath the blood and left an opening just large enough for the two of them as well as Kreacher to walk through.

When they had gone only a few steps, they were all plunged into complete darkness, and Hermione yelped and grabbed desperately for Regulus' arm.

"Calm down, we just have to find the boat. Lumos!," he whispered. His wand tip burst into white light, and they began walking carefully along the outer edge of a massive pool of glass-like water, so still that it looked as if it had never been and would never be disturbed.

The entire place was eerie beyond words, and Hermione was still shivering violently when Regulus stopped short and stared down into the water intently, almost as if listening for something.

"It's here," he finally said after what felt like hours of silence. Still without speaking, he drew his wand up slowly until it was waist-height, and a little boat emerged from the dark water as if rising from the dead. Regulus looked at the boat with a wide grin that quickly vanished as he looked around at Hermione and Kreacher.

"Kreacher, you'll have to take Hermione to the middle and meet me there while I take the boat. I'm pretty sure it's made for only one rider."

"Yessir! Right away, Master Regulus!" replied Kreacher, although the look on his face was quite the opposite, and was much more desperate and terrified-looking than his voice had sounded.

Regulus nodded curtly and carefully climbed into the boat, and Kreacher reached out to her with one of his small wrinkly hands and sucked her away into darkness once again.

When she first felt her feet hit solid ground, it was still so dark that Hermione thought they had apparated to the wrong place or maybe were still apparating. For all she knew, they could have been dead. But then she turned around and saw a light coming nearer and nearer, and soon it was close enough to tell that it was Regulus coming up to them in the boat.

When he was close enough, both Hermione and the house elf helped him up, and then watched as the little boat sank back down into the water.

"Now what?" Hermione asked.

"There's some kind of potion, right, Kreacher? Something that has to be drunk?"

Kreacher nodded, and Hermione noticed that he'd begun to practically sob with fear. However, Regulus could not have been happier as he spotted something and ran over to it.

"Lumos Maxima!" he said. The light illuminated a stone bowl on top of some sort of podium or table. The bowl was filled with clear liquid, and they could all see something long and glittering at the bottom that could only be a necklace. The horcrux.

Hermione knew that this was what they had been looking for. It really was a horcrux. It had to be. Voldemort would not have gone through all this trouble of protecting something that wasn't extremely valuable. This also meant that they were right: Tom Riddle was attempting to become immortal, or he already was.

Hermione looked over at Regulus, excited to finally share in his excitement, but the smile he'd had all evening was now gone. Instead, he looked scared. Terrified in fact. But when he noticed that Hermione was looking at him, his fear vanished and was replaced with only a completely emotionless gaze.

"Kreacher, I think you know what needs to happen."

Hermione looked down at the little elf, whose fear had only become more and more obvious the more time they'd spent in the cave, but either Regulus didn't notice, or just didn't care. However, the elf stood at attention all the same.

"I'm going to drink this potion, Kreacher. Do you understand me? I'm going to drink it, and you're going to make me, whether I want to or not. That's an order."

Kreacher nodded, even though the look on his face still said the opposite, and took up a position beside the bowl.

Regulus turned to Hermione. "You're going to hate me, but I need to do this. I've..we've…worked too hard to miss this opportunity. It needs to happen."

This was what Hermione had been afraid of: Regulus wanting to be the hero. Harry Potter, her best friend, had always done the same, and he'd very nearly gotten himself killed every single time. Did everything she touch destroy itself? It just wasn't fair.

"Please, Reg-" she began, but her words were silenced by Regulus' lips on her own, and she kissed him back as hard as she could for no other reason than the fact that she had no idea when she would next be able to do the same. Her tears streamed down her face, but she let him go. He took one final look at her and mouthed "I love you" before putting the little cup that had been beside the potion to his lips and drank.

At first, he was fine. Then, he began to writhe and Hermione could only watch as he collapsed to the ground and cried out in what must have been pain, or maybe longing, she couldn't tell. The tears came and Hermione found herself on all fours, crawling desperately toward the boy on the ground. He was still convulsing, begging for the pain to stop, for someone to help him, but no help would come. Not until he drank it all, and until then, she'd be there for him.

Meanwhile, Kreacher completely ignored Regulus' yells, even though Hermione knew it must have been killing the elf inside to hear the one person who was kind to him suffer and not be able to help him. It hurt Hermione too.

It began to feel as though she'd been listening to him crying for hours, but she also knew that they were only through about half of the potion. By now she'd pushed her face into Regulus' chest and was clutching him with both arms as Kreacher kept forcing the liquid own his throat. _End. Just end, you fucking potion._ She wanted to badly to give up, to order Kreacher to stop, but she knew it would only be worse if she did, and they had to be close now. They had to be. They had to.

"Wa…ter…" Regulus croaked. It sounded as if his throat was filled with sand, but either way, he was alive. It was over.

"We'll get you water," whispered Hermione. "I promise."

She looked around at Kreacher and saw him struggling to reach the necklace at the bottom of the now-empty potion bowl.

"I'll be back," she said quietly to Regulus with a kiss on his cheek before hurrying over to help the elf.

"Thank you Kreacher. I've got this." Hermione peeked into the bowl, and what she was surprised her. It was a huge locket made of gold with an "S" in green stones inlaid in the front, and when she picked it up by its long gold chain, it was much heavier than she had expected. She stood staring at it for a long time, for it was difficult to tear her eyes away from it. Never before had she beheld something that radiated so much power. It was like a magnet of the eye.

"Madame Granger! Come quickly, please!" came a shout from behind her. It took incredible strength to tear herself away from the necklace, but when she did, what she saw terrified her. Regulus was at the edge of the water, reaching a hand out to touch the glassy surface before him.

"NO!" she yelled, stuffing the necklace into her pocket and running forward but it was too late. Regulus' hand plunged beneath the surface and brought back up with it a handful of perfectly clear, freezing cold water, and that was all. At first, Hermione breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe the demons from beneath the water were only there that one time. Maybe they were lucky.

But then a white hand burst through the surface, and then another and another, and Hermione brought out her wand for the first time that night.

"Kreacher, grab Regulus!" she screamed before running toward the monsters, flinging spells blindly all the way.

The elf ran ahead and pulled Regulus away from the edge, but by then, there had to be hundreds of the creatures. Unfortunately, they seemed to be zombie-like, probably Inferi, and according to their reactions to her spells, Hermione concluded that they felt little to no pain, and instead kept advancing on the threesome, cornering them all together against the potion bowl. Considering the fact that Regulus seemed to still be passed out, or worse, and Kreacher didn't seem interested in helping as he was now crouched on the ground in the fetal position, Hermione had to find a way out on her own. So far, things did not look too promising.

Suddenly, all her fears were being realized as she felt Regulus' body being pulled out of her sweaty grasp, and she could no longer hold onto him and fight back at the same time. Instead, she tucked her wand away and flung herself around Regulus' limp body. Maybe, if they weren't separated, there would still be hope. She knew she was lying to herself, but it was better than completely giving up.

Hermione closed her eyes and prepared herself to be pulled under the water, but instead of the icy coldness she'd been expecting, she felt a hot wind blow into her face, and Regulus' body left her, and she opened her eyes wide to see the little island completely covered in flames. The cold, dead hands of the Inferi released her, and it took a few more moments of lying on the ground to realize what exactly was happening before her.

It appeared that Regulus had woken up after all, even though he looked nearly dead himself. His face was white and bony, and everything else about him was hollow, but he somehow managed to find the strength to produce one of the biggest fire charms she had ever seen.

As soon as she could no longer see and Inferi, and the fire subsided to a simple ring around the three of them, she rose to her feet and ran over to Regulus, who had fallen to his knees, and began kissing him all over his entire face.

"I thought we were all going to die," she said through her tears as she pulled him close, but Regulus responded only with a faint grunt before collapsing into Hermione's arms. The fire around them flickered, but remained where it was. Still, Hermione knew they did not have much time.

"Kreacher, can you get us out of here?"

The elf nodded and took both of their hands, but Hermione shouted "Wait!" and reached into Regulus' pocket, pulling out an old necklace from the cupboard at 12 Grimmaud Place that Regulus had brought to replace Voldemort's, in hopes that he wouldn't notice the original had gone missing, along with a note for him if he did. They're come up with the idea the night before, deciding that if the Dark Lord was to discover the fact that they were aware of his plans, he would do anything in his power to destroy them both.

Hermione ran back over to the elf and grabbed his other hand again, and they were all sucked back into darkness just as the fire went out, and no one had died.

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><p>Thank everyone for reading, and don't forget to review!<p> 


	11. Chapter 10

I've been gone for a long, long time, and I firstly would like to apologize for this. I've made all of you wait for far too long for this conclusion. I've had a rough few months, but I am proud to say that I will be graduating high school in just a few days. With my new found free time after finishing classes, I wrote this last chapter to my very first HP fanfiction, and I'm extremely proud of it! I hope all of you will like it as much as I do. Please enjoy, and there may be some sort of "final chapter" or "10 years later" or something in the future, but I'm not sure what it would be yet. Everything familiar goes to the lovely J.K. Rowling.

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><p>"Now what?" Hermione asked Regulus while the two were again sitting in Regulus' room a few days after they'd escaped the cave.<p>

Regulus shrugged. He'd just woken up a few hours before after being completely knocked out from the energy he'd used to produce such a powerful spell. Hermione and Kreacher had been taking care of him since. However, now that their mission was complete, Hermione would have to find a way home and spinning her time-turner all the way back would be far too complicated and too risky, considering the fact that she could very well end up in the wrong time and get herself into more trouble.

This was all without the fact that she might not want to leave: At least, not without Regulus. It had been difficult for her to understand her feelings thus far, but after having survived the cave thanks to him, she knew now that she would never be completely happy without him. Hermione might even love him.

For now, however, there was no way she could tell him her feelings. Not when they were still terrified of Voldemort finding out that they'd taken his horcrux.

"Well, however we do it, you should…you should come with me." Hermione looked over for Regulus' reaction, but he didn't even flinch. Actually, it appeared he'd fallen asleep.

Hermione sighed and looked back down at the floor. It seemed as though the only thing harder than getting home would be telling Regulus her feelings anyway, so she decided she'd just stop trying for the time being.

"Kreacher, would you get me a glass of water?"

"Of course, Ms. Granger. Anything for a guest of Master," Kreacher answered with a low bow before waddling off and out of the room.

"Hermione," came a whisper from the bed. Regulus had woken up again. Hermione got up and went over to him, sitting in a chair beside him.

"Yes?" she asked, sweeping some hair off of his forehead.

Regulus sighed and opened his eyes. Hermione never got sick of looking into those eyes. "I've been thinking of ways to get you home, and I think I know of one. However, I have a feeling you're not going to like it much."

Hermione raised her eyebrows, but said nothing.

"You see, house elves must obey any order from the family they serve, which obviously includes myself. Now, if I'm correct, this should include if I were to tell him to take you back to the time in which you came from. House elves have incredible, misunderstood magic, which may be one of the reasons they were first oppressed as nothing more than servants. Wizards were afraid elves would overtake them in the area of magic, which had always been how wizards kept their power over others. Now, it should work, as I said, but we'll need to try it or-"

"Wait," said Hermione. "W-wait, are you saying you're just going to send me back there, alone? As in, you aren't going to come with me?"

Regulus said nothing for a long while before looking away and slowly shaking his head.

"So you're just going to stay here and wait for Voldemort to come and find you? He'll kill you, Regulus! I just cannot live with that. Please!" Hermione cried. She knew this conversation had to come, but she hadn't imagined the pain she would feel along with it. She'd first used the time-turner to save Sirius. Why couldn't things work out the same way with his brother?

Regulus sighed. He'd known this would happen, and it was hard for him, too.

"Please," Hermione pleaded yet again, this time wrapping her arms around Regulus and snuggling her face into his chest.

"Hermione, please," Regulus said. "You're making this so much harder than it has to be. For both of us."

When he'd first seen this mysterious girl on his doorstep, Regulus had never thought he would care so much for her. He'd assumed she was out to get him or his family. After his father had been killed and his brother had run away, he'd felt alone in his home. Never had he thought Hermione would become a source of solace and much-needed escape.

Just then, Kreacher returned with the water Hermione had requested, and seeing that Regulus was once again awake, rushed to his side and handed the glass to the girl.

"Is there anything I can do for you, sir?" Kreacher asked with a bow. Hermione sat up and set the glass untouched on the bedside table, then wiped her tears from her cheeks.

Regulus sighed, hardly able to keep his own emotions to himself. "There is something, Kreacher, that we must speak about with you immediately."

"Well, Master, what is it? I live to serve the noble house of Black," he added with another bow.

Regulus proceeded to explain their plan to Kreacher, and the house elf listened silently.

"Can you do it, Kreacher?" asked Regulus when he had finished.

"I suppose so, sir," said the elf, "but of course, I've never tried. However, I will do my best to complete your wishes," he said with a third and even lower bow.

Hermione, watching the conversation unfold, could do nothing but sit in silence and try not to scream. She just wanted to elf to stop agreeing and bowing and making Regulus' wretched idea become a reality. She did not want this to work.

Unfortunately, it seemed as though it would. After Regulus had gotten dressed, with some help from Kreacher and Hermione, as he was still quite weak, the three gathered some things together and stood together in the middle of the room.

"Regulus, you're still so tired. Are you sure this must be done now, right at this moment?" Hermione asked, searching desperately for a way out. But Regulus just looked at her sadly and turned back to talk to Kreacher.

"Kreacher," he began, "on the count of three, I demand you to return Hermione and I to the time from which she came."

For a moment, Hermione started. Was he going to stay with her after all? But when she caught Regulus' eyes, she knew he would not. He was only going to make sure it worked, and would leave her there after he knew she would be okay. She wanted to be pleased, but couldn't, considering this would be the last sweet thing he would ever do for her.

They each grabbed one of Kreacher's little hands. "One, two, THREE!" Regulus exclaimed, and the three were swept up into a dark spinning cloud of blackness. Hermione's stomach turned over and over, and she felt as if she were spinning for years when in fact it was only a few seconds before they all crashed to the floor of Hermione's bedroom.

For a while she just stared up at her white ceiling. It was familiar, yet distant, as if from another life, and it was. But the other life it was from was her's, and she'd never been sure she would see it again.

Emotion rushed to Hermione, and she felt Regulus' arms wrap around her from behind. She turned and kissed him hard on the mouth, never wanting this moment to end.

But it did. Regulus pulled away and looked into Hermione's eyes, one hand on each of her cheeks. He, too, was absolutely distraught, but, being a Black, he was far too good at concealing his feelings.

"Don't leave me," Hermione whispered with tears welling up into her eyes yet again.

"I have to, Hermione. Please don't make this any harder than it has to be, for both of us."

Regulus pulled her into him again and held on tightly. "Don't worry, love. I'll be around. I promise. You saved me, and I owe you my life. You may not see me, but I'll see you. I'll do all I can to keep you safe. Just, promise me in return, that you'll keep yourself safe, too. Stick with Harry Potter, and what's his name? Ron? They'll make you happier than I ever will."

Hermione said nothing, but continued to cry into his shirt. Her mind was spinning, and nothing made sense. After a few more minutes or this, Regulus pulled away from her, then picked her up and set her onto her bed.

"Regulus, I love you," Hermione mumbled. Regulus leaned down and kissed her on her forehead.

"I love you, too. Now go bravely, my dear, and never look back."

With that, he walked back over to Kreacher, who had been waiting silently in a corner, took his hand, and demanded to be returned home. There was a flash, a powerful wind, and Hermione was alone.

* * *

><p>"Remember everything I told you to say, Kreacher. If anyone ever asks what happened, you must not tell them. This is my final request of you, do you understand? You must tell them nothing of Hermione, and you must make them believe I died in that cave."<p>

Kreacher nodded, and Regulus left through his bedroom window a few moments later with nothing but his wand. He knew that if he took anything, someone might suspect him to have run away, and he needed to disappear forever.

* * *

><p>"Hermione!" yelled . She and her husband had just returned home from a shopping trip, and she was excited to tell her daughter about the new book she'd picked up, but when she got up to Hermione's room, the girl was asleep, and, unknowing of the fact that she'd returned home just minutes before, backed away and began thinking about what to make for dinner.<p>

As time went by, Hermione learned to keep her emotions, and secrets, inside. Everything with Harry and the battle against Voldemort unfolded rapidly enough that her mind was kept occupied. The only time she ever lost it again was when Kreacher began to tell the story or the cave on that night in 12 Grimmauld Place, but thankfully no one ever asked her why.

* * *

><p>Well, that's it! Have a great summer everyone, and <em><strong>thank you so much<strong>_ to all who've been reading from the beginning and for the incredible patience you've shown me if you're still reading this now!


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